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Sean Dyche is right about Everton points deduction – but Toffees still not good enough
ANDY DUNN: Sean Dyche is right that Everton would be getting “measured differently” if eight points had not been deducted from their points tally – but the Toffees still haven’t been good
Sean Dyche believes he would be getting “measured differently” if eight points had not been deducted and Everton’s tally stood at 35 rather than 27.
And Dyche is right, of course. But only to a certain extent. Do not let the brutal punishment for the breaches of profit and sustainability rules mask the truth that this has been another underwhelming Premier League campaign for Everton.
Do not let the brutal punishment conceal the underachievement of Dyche and his team. Do not let the brutal punishment give the latest Everton manager a free pass. It goes without saying that the root cause of Everton’s problems is spectacular mismanagement off the pitch.
And the drawn-out and controversial takeover by 777 Partners – thrown into fresh doubt at the end of last week – is hardly a sign that those problems are going to ease any time soon. These are deeply worrying times for the grand, old club.
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But even though their transfer spending since Farhad Moshiri took over has been, in the main, atrocious, this is an Everton squad that should be doing better than it is. If the points had not been deducted, Everton would indeed have 35 and would be sitting in 14th place in the Premier League table.
And yes, they would be “measured differently” but it would still not be good enough. Dyche’s Everton arrested an absurdly long run without a Premier League win by beating Burnley last time out but it was hardly convincing.
And, quite simply, Everton should not be having 37 per cent possession against Burnley at Goodison Park. Lovers of statistics will point out that the disparity between Everton’s goals and their expected goals is the most significant in the league.
Maybe so. But that, eventually, falls down to Dyche. Theft that Everton have scored a meagre 16 Premier League goals from open play comes down to Dyche.
Sean Dyche’s Everton have suffered an injury blow ahead of Saturday’s clash against Manchester United
Dyche’s Everton haven’t had a great season ( Image: Getty Images)
Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than Everton and any team that adopts a counter-attacking philosophy against the likes of Burnley is clearly limited in its ambitions.
Even during that 13-game winless Premier League run, Dyche’s position was never in jeopardy. This season came on the back of two relegation fights, the points deductions have been tough to deal with, and the club could not afford to pay him off anyway.
But Everton’s remaining seven matches will still represent a defining phase of Dyche’s managerial career. After Monday night’s engagement at Chelsea, Everton have a run of three high-pressure home games. Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Brentford.
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The relegation threat is real. This is a time when Everton have to get on the front foot and Dyche said as much in his most recent press conference.
Amongst many pundits and fellow managers, Dyche’s reputation remains high and there is an obvious train of thought that suggests his performance has been the least of the club’s worries. But this tense run-in will prove if that lofty reputation is deserved … and if Dyche really is the man to lead Everton forward.
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